Of all the countries in the world, probably none have a longer tradition of beekeeping than Ethiopia. The hieroglyphs of ancient Egypt refer to this land as the source for honey and beeswax.

It has since been a symbol of royalty and power (think “Queen Bee”). In fact, if you start looking, you can find bees everywhere, symbolizing motherhood, fertility, wisdom, immortality and resurrection. It appears in Paganism, Buddhism, Hinduism and even Catholicism. The Vatican is covered in them and the Pope has a robe embroidered with crowned bees. Even Napoleon chose the bee as his personal symbol, believing that it represented a “sting” but also produced honey, and it was kind of an upside down fleur de lys, an appropriate symbol to add legitimacy to his rule. (OK…this is a little bit of the history geek in me coming out!! )

Ethiopia is the biggest producer of honey in Africa. It is a luxury product as well as a medicine, and it is the basic ingredient the local honey wine/beer, called “Tej”. A popular drink in Ethiopia, Tej is a kind of mead with a slightly bitter taste. When making Tej, a plant is used which has the same effect as hops in beer, although it can be somewhat sparkling because there are still sugars in it when it is bottled. Hmmm…maybe Niagara College should try the Tej business!

By improving the beehives and receiving specific training in some modern or adapted beekeeping methods, Ethiopians are able to make quality table-grade honey for export to places like Scandinavia. This contributes to rural development through trade as well as aid. It creates more jobs and that helps to keep kids in school! Anyone interested in importing to Canada??

Here is a great series of short videos produced by SNV – Netherlands Development Organization showing the amazing difference that beekeeping has made in the lives of many Ethiopians, particularly women.

The very first Ethiopian children’s book that I read was “The Beekeeper of Lalibela”, written by Cristina Kessler. It is one of the free English/Amharic storybooks that Ethiopia Reads gives out to children.

“In the mountains of Ethiopia, a girl named Almaz vows that one day her honey will be the best in the land. But the other beekeepers laugh her away and tell her it’s men’s work. Almaz refuses to take no for an answer and uses her smarts to prove them all wrong. In this spirited text with stunning illustrations, a girl shows that brains – not brawn – is the key to making her dream come true.”

I was so delighted by the story, that during my time in Ethiopia, I was determined to visit Lalibela. YES, to see the famous and quite unbelievable rock-hewn churches, but if am perfectly honest, I really just wanted to see the little girl of my book and taste her honey! I’m funny that way!

The honey that I bought came in a large plastic container something like this but bigger. I carried it all the way back to Addis Ababa on the airplane, tasted some of it myself and in the end passed it on as a gift to the father of a friend. I had heard that he liked to take honey each day and truly believed in its medicinal properties and health benefits. (Besides, I was never going to get unpasteurized honey through Canadian Customs!)

Because Lalibela honey is not processed, it retains all its natural antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, amino acids, enzymes, carbohydrates and phytonutrients. Lalibela bees are never fed sugar water or antibiotics. There is less pollution and no herbicides or pesticides are used. It MUST be good for you! In fact, the health benefits of natural honey are well researched.

BTW: Here is the Legend of Lalibela (as recounted by Cristina Kessler)

In 1181, a young boy was born in Roha, Ethiopia. His brother, Harbay, was destined to be king until a mysterious thing happened. Legend has it that one day his mother saw the baby lying happily in his cradle, surrounded by a dense swarm of bees. Recalling an old Ethiopian belief that the animal world could foretell the arrival of important people, the second sight came to his mother and she cried out, “The bees know that this child will become king,” and so she named him ‘Lalibela’, which means ‘the bee recognizes his sovereignty’. She was sure that the bees represented the troops that he would lead one day as king.

King Lalibela ruled for many years, and today, visitors flock to the town re-named after him to see for themselves the incredible churches he had built, hewn from stone. The churches of Lalibela are often called the Eighth Wonder of the World.

Some say that angels helped to build the churches at night! And to this day, both the churches and the honey of Lalibela are known far and wide.

Well, that is the romanticized view of Lalibela…and I buy into the magic with all my heart…but honestly, Lalibela was not much different from all of the other places that I saw…heartbreaking poverty, no electricity/water, one paved road (to the airport), illness, etc. etc. With all of the amazing places in Ethiopia, it is hard to understand why the tourism industry cannot help the economy more.

Ah well, St. Catharines is a long way from Lalibela. Still, I keep a little piece of it with me.

I did try my hand at making a lovely Ethiopian Honey Bread this winter (the first loaf was a rock…second was much better… thank you Lynn!). And, my nephew Ethan gave me some wonderful beeswax candles for Christmas this year…they are my favourite!